


“Her name's Brienne.”

by Sophie_Of_Tarth



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-04-24
Packaged: 2018-06-04 05:16:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6642814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sophie_Of_Tarth/pseuds/Sophie_Of_Tarth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Brienne is a Lighting Director who has spent twenty seven freezing cold days, in howling winds and driving rain, usually at night, attempting to sympathetically light one of the most desperately sad scripts she has ever read. If ever she has felt she could do something for a story, 'Winterfell' is it.</p><p>Executive producer Jaime Lannister disagrees.</p><p>Will the film 'Winterfell' ever be finished to the executive producer's satisfaction?</p><p>Will Brienne make it as far as the premiere? </p><p>My 2016 Premiere Fic Challenge contribution!</p>
            </blockquote>





	“Her name's Brienne.”

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ikkiM](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ikkiM/gifts).



> I am a programmer, not a film maker.  
> So if I get something terribly wrong.... you have been warned!

“So exactly what do you think he means by ‘light another candle’?” Brienne asked Tyrion Lannister for the third time, as she felt the air in her throat form an airlock that manifested itself as something sounding embarrassingly like a sob.

Tyrion shifted uneasily in his seat and had the grace to look visibly uncomfortable at her reaction to what he had just told her.

“Don’t take it personally Brienne,” Tyrion told her, shifting in his seat yet again as he regarded her sympathetically across the vast desk, “he really is only trying to help.” 

 _Only trying to help?_  

“How does he know that the scenes might need more light?” 

“Jaime watched the rushes. He watches the footage from the day, every evening, with me. I told you he would.”

“He watches them himself?” Brienne felt all kinds of stupid as soon as the words left her mouth.

“Well… he likes to keep an eye on things…”

_You don’t say…._

“...and he told me to tell you that he feels that some of the scenes are, well… um… a trifle dark.”

“Dark,” Brienne echoed grimly. 

“As in... not enough light.”

Loras Tyrell suddenly launched himself from his chair and starting pacing the room, cursing as he went. 

“I told you,” he snapped at Brienne before turning to appeal with arms outstretched in Tyrion’s direction, “She never listens to me. A director of lighting is supposed to consult… I told her it might look too dark…” 

“Loras, of course we listen to you. All of us do,” Tyrion told him soothingly with a frown of warning towards the woman sat before him, “and you are a marvellous DP. No one is saying otherwise. Now sit down, so we can discuss this properly, like adults.”

“Well, with all due respect, _Tyrion_ , it sounds like our executive producer _is_ saying otherwise.”

“But the story is set in an ancient castle,” Brienne felt she needed to remind both men of that fact before this uncomfortable conversation went any further, “and castles are dark… particularly at night. It needs to be atmospheric. The script clearly states that -”

“Jaime has read the script, Brienne.” Tyrion reminded her dryly. “He financed the project.”

Brienne bit the inside of her lip hard, determined not to blurt out any more less than diplomatic protest.

They all knew where the damn film was set. Suddenly, she felt like she had worked far longer than the month that had already gone on this film. Brienne had so far spent twenty seven freezing cold days, in howling winds and driving rain, usually at night, attempting to sympathetically light one of the most desperately sad scripts she had ever read.

That their executive producer had suddenly decided to stick his nose into proceedings at this stage was enough to make her feel like telling Jaime bloody Lannister where to shove his unwelcome artistic direction.

“So is there anything else Mr Lannister wishes to contribute to the ...er… production?” Brienne asked Tyrion instead, “Anything else he thinks he could maybe improve?” 

 _What about some fabulously bright lighting and gaudy special effects to make it a little more like Mr Lannister’s most recent production to premiere,_ thought Brienne. _Maybe he could help them pimp ‘Winterfell’ into another ‘Gods of Essos’._

Tyrion Lannister, line producer, did not answer her.

Brienne rolled her eyes and turned to look at the door.

Tyrion shifted his small frame uneasily in the overlarge executive chair, regarding the pair before him, before coughing gently into his hand. 

“Have you told Renly about this?” Loras asked Tyrion.

“Our current director has gone off to scout a key location,” Tyrion informed him, “apparently we need a wider horizon to accommodate the size of army he has in mind for the final scene.”

“Current?” Brienne frowned at Loras, who was now sat in his chair once more, glowering at their line producer.

“Jaime is very invested in this project. He did wonder if Stannis Baratheon might have been a better choice of director given the very technical nature of some of the filming involved.”

“Stannis?” Loras gazed at Tyrion open-mouthed, “Jamie is thinking of replacing Renly with Stannis as director? But this is an emotionally complex piece. Stannis… Stannis may not be the best man for this particular story.”

“Stannis Baratheon comes highly recommended,” Tyrion told them. “ And as I told you, this project is very close to my brother’s heart.”

 _If Jaime Lannister has a heart, he is clearly lacking a soul to go with it,_ Brienne surmised. 

“That may be, but I only work with Renly,” she told Tyrion bluntly. “If your brother is looking to replace Renly Baratheon with Stannis, I’ll expect my cheque in the post for the work I’ve done so far. Stannis rarely employs a DoL.You won’t be needing my services any longer.” Brienne pushed herself out of her chair and picked up her coat. “It’s been great working with you Tyrion. Shame I can’t say the same about your brother. Call me if you ever need a Director of Lighting for your own projects.”

“Nothing has been settled yet!” Tyrion had clearly not secured such a key position within the highly successful Casterly organization without knowing when his words might have touched not only a nerve, but caused a knee-jerk reaction. “Brienne!”

Tyrion was off his chair, and had caught her hand before she had managed to get even one arm of her anorak over the shapeless cardigan beneath. “Jaime isn’t all critical… he loved the ambience of the scene with Sansa and Sandor.”

“That was my work,” Loras reminded them smugly.

Brienne simply gave Loras Tyrell a hard stare as she shoved her other arm into her anorak, huffing angrily as she realised the cardigan sleeve had got stuck and left her with half a bare arm sticking from the coat sleeve.

“Brienne!” Tyrion snapped, his authoritative tone belying his diminutive frame, “Jaime absolutely adored the lighting of the fight scene in the rain and I happen to know,” he continued, swinging round to stare hard at Tyrell as he did so, “that that was all down to you.”

“I really don’t know if I can work on a project where our every decision is being subjected to such scrutiny.” Brienne finally told him, her coat still sitting awkwardly across her shoulders.

“It’s not that he is criticizing… he really does not see it as that,” Tyrion sought to mitigate the news he had delivered with his most soothing tone, “I just think he wants to be more involved.”

“I don’t really see how he can be any more involved,” Brienne replied bluntly, “other than actually physically coming down to the set and telling us to our faces that what we are doing is not what he wants.”

“Good, I’m glad you agree and I can tell you are both more than happy to explain all your lighting and DP decisions to my brother should he wish to discuss them.” Tyrion gave them his best and most brilliant smile. “To that end, I have insisted Jaime come and spend the next few weeks with us on the set of ‘Winterfell’.”

“Oh, great,” Loras sighed.

Brienne rolled her eyes and called for the strength of the seven yet again.

  
_Just how much worse could this project_ __get?_   _

**Author's Note:**

> Next time Jaime has an issue with health and safety, and gets to meet Brienne. In that order.
> 
> And I'm including this because just as I was thinking "What am I doing?", I found an article about Ms Haellmigk... and it turns out that she likes natural light too.
> 
>    
> 


End file.
